Interior of a passenger rail car on its way to California 1880s

Posted on June 2, 2014 by

Interior of a passenger rail car on its way to California 1880sIn the 1880s, Los Angeles experienced one of its biggest booms when the transcontinental railways finally came to L.A. thus providing people with a (relatively) comfortable way to travel from coast to coast. I’ve read a lot about that era, but never seen what it really looked like back then. Between those straight-backed, wooden benches and the girdles, it doesn’t look to comfy to me. Especially considering it probably took the best part of a week to reach L.A. Thank goodness for the Harvey Houses!

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2 responses to “Interior of a passenger rail car on its way to California 1880s”

  1. Al Donnelly says:
    January 19, 2021 at 11:56 am

    What was the source? I wouldn’t declare this to be an “immigrant car”, but it is strange that the passengers all seem to be wearing shipping type tags around the collar area. If that staff in the rear vestibule is for dining service, then it would not be unusual in this era to place lesser-service cars (coach etc.) ahead of the diner with higher-service accomodations run to the rear end where the smells of foods drift back toward those who can afford it. It was definitely class-separation in regularly scheduled runs up until the limiteds and deluxe services could formally place real barriers to the hordes of regular joes & janes.

    Reply
    • Martin Turnbull says:
      January 20, 2021 at 11:41 am

      I got this photo on Pinterest (I think) and all it said was something like “passenger rail car on its way to California 1880s.” Given that LA had a population boom in the 1880s, I assume these people were moving out there.

      Reply

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